Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 101840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
“W-what’s happening right now?” I demanded.
Locke didn’t answer. He faced the doors as if ready to stride out and return to New York, giving me up as a bad bet. An ungrateful or distrusting partner.
I stepped up behind him and pressed my forehead to the back of his neck, taking a moment to breathe him in. “Please don’t leave,” I whispered. “Please give me a chance to understand.”
“No.”
A sickly beat of silence convinced me to step back while anger threatened to return. How fucking dare he reject me like this? But then he spoke again, right when the elevator chime dinged.
“I told you already, Jett. From now on, where I go, you go. You’re coming with me.”
He grabbed my hand and pulled me along, back toward the ballroom where my great-aunt’s bachelor party was presumably in full swing.
“We can’t go in there,” I said in a panic when I realized where he was taking me. “They don’t know about you.” It wasn’t completely true since my parents and siblings knew, but the dozens of other Marians and Wildes didn’t. And if they found out about my connection to Locke Maris, they’d never stop asking me about it.
“Who’s the dirty secret, then, Jethro?”
“My name isn’t really Jethro,” I admitted.
He spun to face me. “I know, Jett. But you’re my Jethro.” He ran a hand over my hair, cupped my jaw, and stared into my eyes. “I’m tired of living my life making all the most important moves in secret. So tell me right now if you want to be with me. For real.”
“Of course I do,” I snapped. “That’s not the problem.”
“Good.” He turned and entered the ballroom, yanking me over to the small stage that would have a band for dancing after the dinner. He strode up to the microphone and tapped it. “This thing on?”
Everyone’s face swung toward us, a hush overtaking the room.
“Guess that means yes,” Locke said. “Hi. I’m sorry to interrupt, but I have a small announcement to make tonight.”
My entire body was taut as a bowstring, torn between shocked pleasure that Locke was here, that he’d come for me, that I might be his Jethro… and anxiety because I’d tried to give my heart away twice before in my life, and both times it had been shoved right back at me with a “thanks but no thanks.”
“No, wait!” I grabbed Locke’s arm and tugged him away from the microphone. “If you do this,” I whispered. “If you make this real… if I give you my heart, Locke Maris… you’ll own it. For good. Understand?”
The divot between Locke’s eyebrows smoothed, his jaw loosened, and his lips parted on a grin. Locke leaned in to press a small kiss below my ear and whispered, “I told you before, Jett. It’s called Maris Holdings. Not Maris Take and Give Back.”
He flashed me a wink before straightening up and speaking into the microphone again.
“I heard this is a bachelor party of sorts. Well, I’m claiming my bachelor.” His hand tightened around mine and lifted it as he continued. “Jett Marian is mine. Forever. He’s not available. He will never be available again. Is that clear?”
Wide eyes followed his every word. I heard someone whisper, “Is that Locke Maris?”
My sister’s grin was ridiculous, and my brother Gabe shot me a thumbs-up and mouthed, So hot.
I turned to Locke, just in time to have his mouth crash into mine, kissing me like a man just home from months at sea. My legs wobbled, but Locke’s arms banded around me to keep me from melting to the floor.
“Oh fuck,” someone said. Someone else wolf whistled, and I was pretty sure my cousin JJ yelled, “Get it.”
As soon as Locke pulled back, I glanced out at the sea of beautiful men and noticed the sheer number of heated gazes pointed straight at him. I shoved in front of the microphone. “Same goes for him. Obviously.”
I didn’t get to enjoy the smattering of laughter since Locke was tugging me back offstage and out of the room. As quick as we’d come, we were gone again.
“Where are you taking me?”
Heated eyes found mine. “Your hotel room.”
When we were alone in the elevator again, I looked down at my shoes instead of at Locke. “Why aren’t you mad?”
“Who says I’m not?”
“I really am sorry I couldn’t be honest with you,” I blurted, glancing back up at him. But instead of anger, I saw tender affection. The expression on Locke’s face took my breath away.
“I know, baby,” he said. “And so am I.”
I moved closer to him and tucked my nose into his neck. “I missed you so much,” I whispered.
Locke cupped the back of my head and placed kisses on top of it until the elevator dinged and the doors slid open again.
Thankfully, the key card worked on the first attempt, and I was able to push inside my room. As soon as I felt him behind me, I turned to find out what was supposed to happen next. Was this where we talked it out? Confessed all of our lies and started over again?